Which Diesel Pickup Should I Buy?

Hey, I am a new member who is looking for a little advice. I am getting ready to buy a new truck and would like to find out what everyone thinks is a better truck. I am looking at either a 2006 Chevy 2500 Duramax or a 06 Dodge Ram Cummins. I am personally a Chevy fan, but not opposed to Dodges. I just would like to find out what users have found about these trucks. Thanks!

Hey there, I own an 03 dodge ram 2500 cummins HO 6spd 4 door long box. This is the best truck that I have ever had. I have owned fords and chevys gas motors and I have buddies that drive the diesel fords and chevys. Long story short. Dodge has them all beat in performance ie, power and lots of it. Chevy has the comfort, and they are really comfortable, like a caddy. Fords are pretty comfortable too. Dodge is also the cheapest and Chevy is the most expensive. I have 130k on my truck and my only complaint is the front seats. They are not near as comfortable as the chevy. I should have added the seat upgrade but even then it would not be as comfortable as the chevy. My only other complaint is that it is a little stiff in the ride however the suspension can handle the toughest of off road terrain. I run my truck out on a ranch in west texas and in 4 low lock and 1 2nd or 3rd gear it will just crawl up and over just about anything. My truck produces 305HP stock and I think around 550 on the torque. I added a Dr. Performance (predator) chip which added 100HP and 250 torque. This chip keeps the EGT (exhaust gas temps) way down in the green where it shoud be. Other chips can raise the EGT's into the red which will hurt the life span of the engine in the long run. It increased my fuel milage from 10 to 20 percent. I drove from san antonio to waco on sat and I got a solid 25 mpg on the highway at 78mph, which was a record, I also had a pretty stiff tail wind which helped a lot. 23.5 mpg is the norm on the highway. Comeing home into the wind I got 22.5 mpg at 73mph. I get 21.5 mpg in the city. I might add that I try to keep my foot out of it. This truck wants to run. It will smoke the tires. When I run it hard thru the gears it just wants to take off in 5th and 6th. At 60 70 or 80mph all you have to do it push on the accelerator and the turbo comes alive and it will really go strong. It really likes to cruise at 80. It gets the best fuel mpg below 2100 rpm or 72 mph. As for the towing performance, well let just say that it pulls like an 18 wheeler tractor. It will pull more than the 2500 limits will allow. I pull boats, flat beds and a cattle hauler and I could not be happier with the performance. However when you load it up the fuel milage goes down. Anywhere from 10 to 18 depending on the load. I might add that I have 3.73 gears which are better suited for the highway and light hauling, but that is also what helps on the ausome fuel milage I get when I am not pulling. Good luck.

He is right about the Dodge. I have an 04 with over 298,000 miles on it. I used to haul horse trailers and flatbeds. I was a hot shot. i've been all over the country in the past 2 years. We had a little mis-hap with a Towing company up in Tenn. Needless to say we was without our big red She Devil for about 4 weeks. We had to rent a chevy dually in order to be able to keep working. That is the only type of vehicle that you can rent to do the work that we do. That is what the Insurance wanted us to do. Anyway, after have to use that Chevy for such a short period of time, I would never buy one. The Fuel mileage sucks.. I just loved running about the country. It was like a working vacation. My wife went with me. She is the one who found this beautiful truck on the Show Room floor. We took the back seats out and customized the back seat with a really nice bed and curtains. It was awesome. The funnest week we had was when we went to Niagra Falls and surprised her brother up in Buffalo NY. He is the batting coach for the AAA Phillies in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Pa and they was playing a few games up there. We get a lot of comments about how pretty our truck is when she is all cleaned up..

Hey, I'm looking for some advice on a truck.. I'm considering a purchase on a 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel engine. Would this be a good choice? I don't know how the diesel engines differ from the gas engines, but after about 90,000 miles, my mother's Dodge Durango and my step mother's Dodge Ram 2500 gas engine began having problems. This truck I am interested in, I know, has been WELL taken care of, but I'd just like a little bit of input on how a Cummins holds up rather than a V8.

I am very interested in a 2006 Chevy or GMC Extended cab 4x4 with the Duramax. I have never owned a diesel and I plan on starting a small construction business soon. Anyway, I can't seem to find much info. on the maintenance cost and fuel economy with this diesel. I'm talking about the new 6600 HO. I have owned many 6 liter 2500's and found in the city only about 10mpg. I would like to take advantage of the 0% finance offers currently. Thanks for your quick responses.

Hi. I posted a similar question earlier. But for what its worth, I went and ended up buying a 2006 Chevy Duramax Crew Cab 4x4 and I absolutely love it. I live in Branson(which is the hilly road and sitting in traffic capital of the world) and I'm getting about 16 in town and 22 on the highways already. The truck still has less than 1,000 miles on it too! Besides the $3.05 a gallon for diesel, the costs and fuel economy have been awesome for how big of a machine this is. But anyway, I hope this helps!

I just bought a new 2500 HD GMC d-max allison 6 speed June 29th. 0% at 72 months what a deal. The first 403 miles I drove it easy as suggested in the break in procedure. I filled the fuel tank just dying to see what the mileage was. It took 21.36 gallons, that's 18.86 mpg combination highway city. I put a tonneau on it July 1st, I hope that will make it a little better. I went from a 2003 2500 HD 8.1 5 speed allison that got about 11.7 city/highway. Both trucks were crew cabs, the 03 was a short box the d-max has a long box. This is a big truck. The Dodge and Ford boys need to look at the new numbers for the '06 Duramax , 360 hp and 650 ft.lbs of torque at 1600 rpm. I will follow the owners manual for maintenance and due it myself. I am going to get a Diesel Turbo Lifesaver. The guys at shopdiesel.com are checking into one. They only list up to 2004.

I own a 03 Chevy Crew Cab 2500HD w/Duramax. I think it has around 85k on it now. I did purchase the truck new and just love it. I pulled a 35' High profile fifth with it since new and cannot begin to describe the RAW power. My old 1996 Chevy 2500 extented cab with the older 6.5 diesel had a very hard time pulling this large trailer. With the Duramax I just set the cruise at 70 and it never drops out of over drive (Tow Haul mode). Pulling the trailer I get about 11 to 12 MPG. I only know my combined HWY/City not pulling which id around 20 MPG. Since adding the Edge Juice I find it very hard to keep my leg out of the injectors. I drive I75 from the Pontiac area to Detroit every day. This route takes you from zero MPH to 90 (Just never know). As for comparing my truck to others (Ford or Dodge) GM is finally in the truck segment. All 3 brands all have excellent power and can compete with each other. If someone tells you one has more power than the other they are blowing smoke. Bottom line you need to decide which truck will be the most dependable one for you. That is Engine and Transmission holding over the long haul. My choice will always be GM.

HI There -I am having a hard time deciding between these 2 trucks. The primary use will be to pull up to 10,000 gooseneck horse trailer, but will also be used a few times a year for a family trip vehicle. I am looking at the new '06 to take advantage of 0% financing.

Both trucks are auto trans, 4x4, diesel,Short Bed. Here are the differences:F250 - Crew Cab (I found the Super Cab too small to really have passengers in the back) SB is 6 3/4 ft, an XLT model. Has the integrated brake box.Dodge 2500 - Quad Cab. SB is 6 1/4 ft, SL Model which doesn't have elecric windows or locks. Have to add the brake box.

Here are my questions. 1. Bed size: will the shorter bed size (by 6 inches) of the Dodge compromise turning? A trailer dealer I spoke w/ assured me the Dodge bed size would be fine, but I am wondering if better to go w/ Ford since its SB is 6" longer. HOwever, for my own driving convenience, I would rather drive the smaller truck.2. The Dodge will have to have aftermarket elec windows and door locks (scant supply of '06s)put in. Should I be concerned that these are not factory? Dealer assures me it will be covered like the Dodge Warranty.3. What about reliability, performance and fuel economy comparison between these 2 vehicles?Thanks!!!

HI There -I am having a hard time deciding between these 2 trucks. The primary use will be to pull up to 10,000 gooseneck horse trailer, but will also be used a few times a year for a family trip vehicle. I am looking at the new '06 to take advantage of 0% financing.

Both trucks are auto trans, 4x4, diesel,Short Bed. Here are the differences:F250 - Crew Cab (I found the Super Cab too small to really have passengers in the back) SB is 6 3/4 ft, an XLT model. Has the integrated brake box.Dodge 2500 - Quad Cab. SB is 6 1/4 ft, SL Model which doesn't have elecric windows or locks. Have to add the brake box.

Here are my questions. 1. Bed size: will the shorter bed size (by 6 inches) of the Dodge compromise turning? A trailer dealer I spoke w/ assured me the Dodge bed size would be fine, but I am wondering if better to go w/ Ford since its SB is 6" longer. HOwever, for my own driving convenience, I would rather drive the smaller truck.2. The Dodge will have to have aftermarket elec windows and door locks (scant supply of '06s)put in. Should I be concerned that these are not factory? Dealer assures me it will be covered like the Dodge Warranty.3. What about reliability, performance and fuel economy comparison between these 2 vehicles?Thanks!!!

Hello there! I will try to help you make a decision, since i've owned both trucks. The first was a 99 F350 with a 7.3 crew cab Powerstroke. The truck I currently own is a 2003 Quad Cab Ram with a 5.9 Cummins.You will find that with the Ford it is a really nice truck. The interior is nice and comfortable. The crew cabs are very roomy and very comfortable for long trips. Backseat room rivals most large passenger cars. It will tow very smooth and the transmission should not give you any trouble at all. The engine is pretty powerful but it is not as quiet as the Cummins is. The engine has had some problems, especially in the 03-04 years such as head gasket, injector and turbo problems but the 05+ engines have had these "bugs" worked out of them although there is still the occasional truck with some issues. The torqshift transmission is by far the better choice, and is actually built by Allison Transmission - but GM owns the rights to market theirs as an Allison.As for the Dodge you just can't go wrong with the Cummins engine. They have stuck with the same block since the late 80's aside from major improvements over the years and they were mainly due to emissions. The interior is very nice as well. Although the cabin is smaller than the ford the back seat is still comfortable but if you have tall passengers riding in the back it could be a squeeze. The transmission is not as good as the Ford Torqshift but it is not at all bad.Now to answer your questions!1. Both trucks have coil over front suspensions, but the Dodge still turns much tighter than the Ford, which could come in handy backing a trailer or making tight turns with it.2. If the dealer is going to install and warranty the power windows and locks then make sure it is in writing that it's covered for the agreed term and don't worry, they will be fine.3. For reliability as far as the entire truck I would put them right on par. The Dodge trucks have come a long way since the old days.Engine reliability is an issue with the Ford, as some owners of 6.0's have had repeated issues with their trucks.Transmission reliabilty is a small issue with the Dodge, but as long as you don't try to do anything like add 200 HP with chips and try to tow over the recommended capacity you should be fine.Performance is going to be pretty even, but it does not appear you are looking for a drag racer. Diesels have made tremendous improvements since the old days. They are far more advanced and much more powerful. You will not see any noticeable black smoke upon acceleration.For fuel economy with both trucks being automatic it's going to be pretty close, but you should see empty MPG's in the 16-19 with the Ford, and slightly higher with the Dodge. I average over 20mpg 90% of the time and as high as 24 in my Dodge, but it is a manual and they traditionally get better mileage.I should add that you can increase the performance and mileage by 1-3 mpg wihtout sacrificing the reliability of either engine by researching aftermarket "chips" For about 3-500 hundred bucks you can add 50-75 horsepower and about 150lb-ft of torque just from the chip. If you have never owned a diesel or don't know much about them, it is a whole new world! Please reply if you have any further questions!

I am new to this forum, and if I were you I would stay FAR away from the FORD 6.0 liter. You can search online for problems with 6.0 and find a ton of unhappy people. My husband and I have an 03 and an 06 Ford Diesel. They are both junk. The 03 has been in several times for an array of problems and is currently having the head gaskets replaced. We have had trouble with it since we got it, and you can start it on a cool morning forget about going anywhere for any time soon. You can floor it and it spits and sputters and will barely move, it is a 450. Our 06 350 King Ranch has had problems with since the first week. It nearly burned up on the side of the road. It has been injectors, EGR sensors, and now is doing has the same symptoms as the 450 with the head gaskets. The 03 is in the shop and the 06 needs to be in the shop, but we need to have one for business, so we are having to baby it and fill the sucker up with water a couple of times a day. They say they are putting a new engine in the 07, but who knows if they can get an engine out there that is not plagued with as many problems as the 6.0. STAY FAR AWAY from the 6.0.

I have to agree with you. We have several Ford Crew Cab and Excursion diesel trucks where I used to work in the Arctic. There are 3 full time warranty companies for Ford in Prudhoe Bay. They stay booked up all the time. Most of the problems are the diesel engines. That is all that is used there. Mostly little things like sensors. Ford needs to get their act together.

We just got our 450 back tonight after having the head gaskets replaced and left our 350 there, the 450 still misses. We will see when we get our cold front down here if it will go or not. We had no choice our 06 350 is going through water like crazy and has oil in the water. The ford rep says he is not interested in helping us if we do not take another ford. We WON'T OWN another 6.0, and who knows how the new 6.4 will be!!!!

I have the oppotunity to buy a 1998 Dodge 2500 w/ a diesel engine. The truck is 2WD and only has 10,000 miles on it. Yes that is correct => 10,000. Were there any major difficulties with this year and engine? What kind of fuel mileage should I expect?

The truck is an '03 Duramax Crew cab, Long bed 4X4. It has 129,000 miles. The truck had started smoking at idle. The smoke was blue/grey at idle then black when I accelerated. I recieved the letter from Chevy about the extended warranty on the injectors so I took the truck to a Chevy dealer. The dealer informed me the injectors(3)did not meet the criteria for the extended warranty and it would be $3400.00 for the repairs. I called Chevy and they worked a deal with the dealer to split the cost with me. The dealer told me I did not buy the truck from him nor did I use them to service the truck and Chevy was forcing him to split the cost with me. I had to bite my tongue, at a 100 miles away he is the closest dealer and another 50 to the next one. The deal was made and the repairs done and my half was $1200.00 . The service manager told me bad fuel was the cause of the injector failure. Then at 156 miles after the repairs the truck came to pieces. Something popped the engine started rattling and thick grey smoke was billowing out the exhaust. The truck was dead by the time I got it shut down and off the road. Now the dealer is telling me the injector pump has failed and it will be another $1800.00 for to replace it.

Now for your help. Does bad fuel cause injector failure? Could the injectors have been cleaned instead of replaced? Why would the injector pump go out after only 156 miles after the repairs? Any help or comments would be appreciated.Thanks

There were two different engines used in the 98 model year. If the door badge reads "Cummins Turbo Diesel", you have the older mechanical 12-valve engine. If the door badge reads "Cummins 24-Valve Turbo Diesel", you have the electronic-fuel-injected engine. The 12-valve will get better mileage on an overall basis - you'll have no trouble getting in the mid 20s mpg-wise. Properly maintained, both engines will see 300-400K miles with no sweat.

I am considering the purchase of a new 350 dually. I have heard good and bad about each vehicle. I am leaning towards the Dodge as I own a 93 that just wont quit with a CTD. My friends are pushing me in other directions. Is my choice a wise one or are there any common problems the 06 CTD and rest of truck are having?

hey! im lookin at a 01 f350 7.3td with a utility bed and 180k in miles. im not into it for the towing but it will be involved in my solar power business. my concerns are if it is too big of a truck, although that sturdiness would likely hold up better to 180k mileage (highway miles). single rear wheels. it will be a loud engine i suspect? what mileage in mpg can i expect? will it handle a biodiesel mix? asking price is 16k..let me know, thanks

My '03 2500HD GMC diesel had numerous problems, but just got it back from the dealer after2 weeks being fixed. 139000kms on it, lack of power and could not get it to run over 60 km/h. The dealer found out that there was iron fillings in the tank - new filter, fuel pump, injector pump, fuel lines, and clean injectors as they were somewhat plugged plus labour$$$, total bill $ 10,000 cdn - insurance covered as they believe vandalism. Now GM has said warranty would be in question on engine if anything happens due to the recent issues with fuel.

I cant wait until Toyota or Honda comes out with a diesel pickup truck because Im trading in my yuppie mobile for a reliable and economical truck. Hopefully a nice v6 common rail engine like the new Mercedes V-6. Ford, DC, and GM are in big trouble. Why sell a big V8 when hardly anyone tows, except a few buddies to the bar. What happened to Ford's V6 diesel? Outsourced of course. Ford has a nice TDCI in their Transit van in EUrope and in their Mondeo wagon.

Ford vs Chevy? Ha

Im buying an import because the quality is better and the transmission wont fail.

I wrote last year about the problems I had with the fuel injector pump with my 2000 Dodge Diesel 2500. The truck only had about 70,000 miles I believe. The cost to replace the fuel injector pump is quiet expensive! It isn't just replacing the pump it's all the other stuff that goes with it. We had a whopping $4300.00 bill for us to PAY! Dodge would NOT cover any of it. Even though the dealership had informed us that they had been alot of replacements of the fuel injector pumps and new fuel pumps. Dodge said they did a relocation of the fuel injector pump as they thought that where the pump was located it was causing the malfunction, ultimately BURN UP! So the cost is on you...Recently my brother was visiting me here in CA and made the long haul drive home (WA) about 11 hours. Next day he drove his 2004 Dodge Diesel an additional 20 miles and his truck died, just as ours did last year. YOU GUESSED IT A FUEL INJECTOR PUMP & FUEL PUMP! He had the fuel injector pump go out under his first year of warranty they did replace it, no charge but lied about where they had put it. Cause now he has to replace it at HIS COST and the fuel injector pump isn't where they said it was "mounted in the gas tank. He had to buy a conversion kit to mount it in the gas tank. Actually none of this about remounting it our where it goes is really the issue here. The injector pumps on the Dodge Trucks are an issue and they are DAM expensive to replace! And at the rate they are going out we are putting nearly $5,000.00 into our trucks every other year! Dodge needs to fix this problem and do a recall.. Oh I forgot Dodge only does recalls if it is a "safety" issue! I guess if your truck dies while you are driving passing a big ole truck and you have NO power steering and you crash and burn, THEN IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE!Here is a link to last years letter I wrotelink title

I have heard that there have been a few issues with the injector pumps. Was the problem rectified in the 06 MODELS OR CAN I EXPECT THE SAME FATE ? Are there any other 05 and 06 owners experiencing the same problems? Is dodge doing anything besides calculating the repair charges on your bill?

My Father and I are in the cattle industry so I know exactlywhat you are trying to do. I would highly suggest buyinga 1 ton cab and chassis 4x4, than put a nice custom flat bedon it. That has been the configuration my father and I havesettled on the last half dozen trucks and it is vastlysuperior to a 3/4 ton pickup truck with a standard bed in every respect. When you haul animals they tend to move aroundalot, single rear tire trucks get shoved around quit a bit.At the wrong time it can be very dangerous. You will be amazed at how much better a truck with 4 tires on the backruns down the road with a heavy load of animals. As forwheel base the shorter the better, theirs a reason way thetrucks they use to move house trailers are so short. Everywhere you go in regaurdes to livestock will seem to havenarrow gates and tight quarters. A short wheel base truckcannot be bet as far as maneuvering a Goose Neck Trailer.As far as reliability goes they all have problems. Don't let some salesman lie about it. I don't think any of thedomestic makers are building anything very reliable rightknow if you plan to really work a truck. Duallies as theyare called are mostly for show, I bought a new F-350 Duallya few years ago and will never own another one. Both fenderflares were broken into pieces and flapping in the windby the time I sold it. That's why I suggested a Cab andChassis. The other day a lady ran a red light and hit meright in the side of the flat bed. Her car was totaled out.I used a can of black paint on the bed, and you cannot tellthat anything ever touched my truck, not one dent, that'show a truck is suppose to be. My father currently has a 046.0 liter F-350, he's had alot of trouble with it. If youbuy any diesel truck in the near future get the extendedwarranty on it, you will not be sorry. A old cattleman toldme once about 3/4 ton trucks, that he considered them to bebetween hay and grass, and in your application I agree.